1. GLOSOC2 – Globalising Sociolinguistics – Communicating in the city
Code-choice and the linguistic soundscape linguistic practices in a bilingual English / Gaelic town
GLOSOC2 – Globalising Sociolinguistics – Communicating in the city
December 2018
Dr Inge Birnie
@DrIngeBirnie

2. Gaelic in Scotland Minority language
56,000 people able to speak Gaelic across Scotland (1.1% of the population) (National Census of 2011)

3. What do we know? “runaway language shift” (MacKinnon, 2006)
‘aside, perhaps, from very small children who are being raised through the medium of Gaelic, all Gaelic speakers are bilingual in Gaelic and English’
(Dunbar, 2011: 152)
English has become the ‘unmarked code-choice’ in public domain interactions
(NicAoidh, 2006)
‘Only Gaelic speakers are expected to be bilingual; they expect and are expected to use the dominant language of the community’
(Munro et al, 2011: 6)
What do we know?

4. No indication of the frequency of use
No indication of the domains of use
No indication of the level of inter-generational transmission
No indication of the role of the language in public life
“Known unknowns”:

5. Study aims
Establish the link between reported linguistic competences and de facto language use. 1
Identify the domains of language use. 2
Establish the sociolinguistic patterns of language use. 3
Establish the role of Gaelic in public life in the community 4

6. Study location

7. Stornoway
Population of approximately 12,500 (of which 6,500 in the town)
43.4% of the population can speak Gaelic (2011 Census)
The only “urban” settlement in Scotland where a significant population can speak Gaelic
Considered to be the “least Gaelic” parish in the Western Isles

8. ‘Spoken language use is the most natural use of language
‘Spoken language use is the most natural use of language. It is the most direct kind of linguistic interaction between two or more individuals. Spoken language is also characterised by spontaneous improvisation. The choice of spoken language is often a reflex action rather than a result of reflexion’
(Altuna & Basuro, 2013: 28)
Spoken language use
Assessment of de facto use of spoken Gaelic through:
Linguistic soundscape observations in public domains
Language use diaries of Gaelic speakers
Linguistic soundscape (based on the concept of linguistic landscape (Bourhis & Landry, 1997) - the audibility and salience of a spoken language in a given space, with the extent to which a particular language is used as an indication of the vitality of that language in that speech community.

9. Methodology
Years of assimilation might have resulted in limited use of Gaelic in public spaces
”Reporting bias” or ‘phenomenon of misplaced scale’ (Urla, 2013: 7)
Political and social circumstances might influence how speakers report the use of the language (Bourhis & Sachdev, 1984)

10. Linguistic soundscape
2000 conversations recorded on the observation sheet across 10 different spaces
Gaelic used in 9.1% of the observed conversations (182 / 2000)
405 / 4563 participants in the conversations used Gaelic

11. Gaelic interactions – demographic profile
Gaelic more frequently used by the > 60 age categories
Males (except in the < 30 category) more likely to have been observed speaking Gaelic
Implications for language transmission / language use in public domain???

12. Language choice by group of speakers

13. Percentage Gaelic by group of speakers and purpose
Business transactions – conversations directly related to the provisions of the goods & services of the organisation
Private conversations – all other interactions
All interactions involving only members of the public are ‘private’ - (14.7%)

14. Methodology Individual linguistic practices of bilinguals
Same unit of measurement as the public language use surveys
Conversation:
Face-to-face spoken interaction between two or more individuals which extends beyond an initial greeting.
Delineated by change in participants, change in language or change in purpose

15. Language use diaries 12 Informants 6 L1 & 6 L2
7 employed in the Gaelic sector, 2 involved in (Gaelic) education 472 eligible conversations
242 Gaelic conversations
No difference in frequency of Gaelic language use between L1 & L2 speakers

16. Analysis according to 4 domains:
Language use diaries
Analysis according to 4 domains:
“ the public domain refers to everything connected with ordinary social interactions (business and administrative bodies, public services, cultural and leisure activities of a public nature, relations with the media, etc.). Complementarily, the private domain comprises family relations and individual social practices. The occupational domain embraces everything concerned with a person’s activities and relations in the exercise of his or her occupation. The educational domain is concerned with the learning / training context (generally of an institutional nature is to acquire specific knowledge or skills”
(the Council of Europe, 2001: 15)
(Emphasis and italics by the Council of Europe).

17. Established language norms
Everyone in my family can speak Gaelic, my brothers and my parents can all speak Gaelic. They have had Gaelic all their lives. I was brought up speaking Gaelic as my first language and my brother did as well … I never speak to my brother in Gaelic. Well, when we were younger I suppose we spoke Gaelic a lot more than we do now, but I suppose it is because all of my friends won’t have Gaelic … When we are all (= parents and brother (IB)) talking together, we talk in Gaelic but probably if my parents weren’t there, then all would be in English
(Transcript BP06_01 from interview with Informant BP06).
People of my own age won’t speak Gaelic to each other, so, I couldn’t speak English to my parents. It is strange. I couldn’t. It is just strange to speak English to them
(Translation of Transcript BP09_01 with informant BP09).
My husband does not speak Gaelic but I have two young daughters and a young son, they do Gaelic at school, so no, I don’t use Gaelic at all, but we sent them to the Gaelic school, we want them to have Gaelic
(Translation of transcript BP10_01 from interview with Informant BP10).
Private domains
Established language norms
Language use greatest in interactions involving older generations
Education as the prime acquisition mechanism for Gaelic

18. English the unmarked code choice
Public domain
I won’t speak Gaelic really to people in the shops … I don’t know if someone in Tesco or the Coop speaks Gaelic, something like that, so, I don’t speak Gaelic to them at all
(Translation of transcript BP10_03).
You have to ask people “Do you speak Gaelic”, so I asked this woman. I thought for a while that perhaps she spoke Gaelic, so, when I was confident, when I was feeling confident enough, I started. I didn’t want … I am not speaking to someone anyway, I don’t want to go “Do you speak Gaelic” but she was speaking a bit about the weather, and I thought “ooh this is a chance” because we had a bit of a conversation. Often this woman doesn’t say a lot, so, she just gives you change and she doesn’t speak, but because we had a wee chat I thought I would ask. We started in English and then I asked, “Do you have Gaelic?”, and she said; “Yes plenty”, and I asked, “Would you be willing to speak to me in Gaelic?” And she said, “oh yes”. I thought that was good… I don’t want, I don’t put someone in an embarrassing situation
(Translation of Transcript BP01_02).
English the unmarked code choice
Gaelic is a marked code-choice that requires careful negotiation
Personal confidence & ideology

19. Conclusions Inertia condition of language choice
(Spolsky & Cooper, 1991)
‘Spoken language is by nature a collective matter. Oral use of a language does not depend on the individual, but on the group’
(Altuna & Basurto, 2013: 74)
Linguistic soundscape created by members of staff in a location appears to be a contributing factor in the use & perception of Gaelic.
(Re-)negotiating language norm is a gradual and sensitive process requiring an explicit offer on the part of the service provider
(Heller, 1978)
Conclusions

20. Taing mhòr! Thank you! Dank u wel! Ingeborg.birnie@strath.ac.uk
“I don’t know (what I think about Gaelic – IB). I don’t know. To tell the truth I don’t know what I think about Gaelic, although I work here (in a Gaelic sector workplace – IB), I have children in the Gaelic school. I like Gaelic, but I am not … I am not overly passionate about it. I am not an activist. I don’t think about it, I speak Gaelic, just like I speak English. I don’t think about it” (Translation of Transcript with informant BP10_03 (female, 30 – 60, employed In the Gaelic sector).
Taing mhòr!
Thank you!
Dank u wel!